Gluten Free Skillet Cornbread - Delicious!

Sometimes the best things  are spur of the moment recipe alterations.  This started out as a muffin recipe I had developed years ago.  I head read about cornbread today and it stuck in my mind so 15 minutes before supper I decided to give it a go. 
This is a very simple recipe that goes great with most meals.  If you prefer a recipe using corn flour go to this link: http://applewoodrecipes.blogspot.ca/2014/10/gluten-free-skillet-corn-bread-with.html
Gluten Free Skillet Cornbread! 
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup cooking oil - I used canola

1/4 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 guar gum
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Mix milk, egg, oil and vinegar together in a mixing bowl using a fork or wisk.
Add remaining ingredients and stir well with a wooden spoon.
Heat a 10.5" cast iron skillet over high heat and melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet.  Pour batter into hot skillet.  Fry for about 3 minutes until edge starts to look set.  Using a oven mitt grab handle of skillet and place into hot oven.  Bake an additional 10-12 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Serve warm with butter.
Notes:  You could also butter a 10" baking pan and bake it in there for 15-20 minutes until done. 

Green Tomato Relish - for Hamburgers and Hotdogs

Wondering what to do with all the green tomatoes this fall?  We kept our tomatoes ripening slowly until the last frost and decided to salvage the green ones to make relish.  This relish turned out very well and tastes quite a bit like bread and butter pickles.  The colour is not dark green like store bought relish but the taste is really nice and if you really prefer a dark green you could add
a tiny bit of green food colour.  I use to do that until the family said they preferred I left it in it's natural colour!

Green Tomato Relish  
3.5kg green tomatoes
450 grams onion
450 grams green peppers
2-3 celery stalks
2 cups sugar
2 cups vinegar
2 jalapenos- optional
1 1/2 tablespoons mustard seed
1 1/2 tablespoons celery seed
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon turmeric - optional
Wash and core tomatoes.  Coarsely chop in food processor - in batches.  Place chopped tomatoes in large colander to drain.
Coarsely chop remaining vegetables in processor.
Place all ingredients in large pot.  Bring to a boil stirring often.  Simmer for 15 minutes. 
Place relish in hot sterile canning jars.  Wipe rims clean and place 2 part lids on.  Place in boiling water bath - covered by 2" water and boil covered for 30 minutes. 
Or, if you prefer process in pressure canner at 10lbs pressure for 15 minutes.  Turn off heat and let pressure down slowly following canner instructions.  Makes 6 quarts.

Curried Bean Soup

Got this recipe from my mother-in-law many years ago - she is in her nineties now.  This is an easy soup to make and very satisfying - great for a cool fall day.
I use dried beans that I soak and cook myself but you can substitute with canned beans - just make sure you add the liquid from the canned.  Oh yes, almost forgot- this recipe is gluten free.

Curried Bean Soup
1 pound dried kidney or chili beans (probably 2 cans of store bought beans)
12 cups liquid - use the liquid from the canned or home cooked beans plus water to make 12 cups
1 cup onion, diced
2 tablespoons bacon drippings or butter or oil
3 tablespoons sweet rice flour, rice flour or wheat flour if you can eat wheat
3 tablespoons curry powder
1 cup cooked rice - or just add 1/2 cup dry rice to the soup - I use brown rice.
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 teaspoons salt
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup ham , chopped (or smoked sausage or bacon)
If using dry beans, soak overnight, drain in the morning and cover with water.  Cook until soft.
Fry onion in bacon drippings in bottom of large pot.
Add flour and stir.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 30-60 minutes until rice is soft.
This is a pretty forgiving recipe.  You can add more rice and beans if you like a thicker soup.

Chocolate Chip Cookies - you'd never guess they were gluten free, egg and dairy free!

These cookies are so good you will find that everyone wants at least two or three!

Chocolate Chip Cookies   
1 cup chickpea flour
1 cup tapioca flour
1 cup potato or corn starch
3/4 cup white rice flour (fine Asian style)
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
2 tablespoons guar gum
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup cooking oil or shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup Rogers Syrup , corn syrup or honey
4 tablespoons flax meal
6 tablespoons water
1/2 tsp pysillium husk
2 tsp vanilla extract
16 ounces chocolate chips ( use dairy free substitute if you have to)
Cream together oil and sugars - do not over mix.
Mix the flax meal with the water in small dish - let sit a minute or two
Whisk the dry ingredients together.  Mix everything together.  Form into 1" balls and place on greased baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Honey Dill Salad Dressing

This is my "go to" recipe for salad dressing.  Can be used on all kinds of salads.  We like it with lettuce, celery, radishes, bacon bits and feta cheese.


Honey Dill Salad Dressing - Makes 180 ml about 396 calories/100mls.
1/2 cup oil (I use either olive oil or canola oil. Olive oil gets more solid in the fridge and needs to be warmed before using the dressing)
1/8 cup prepared mustard
1 tablespoon dill seed
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon honey ( I use whatever I have - syrup, corn syrup, honey etc.)
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Mix together and store in fridge.

Gluten Free Biscuits - easy to make!

We like baking powder biscuits with our turkey pie.  Before our gluten free days I would place the biscuit top over the filling and bake it all in the oven.  It has taken years to find a good gluten free biscuit recipe and I think I may finally have tweaked a recipe enough to make it close.....I baked these on a baking sheet this time but next time I will try baking the biscuit on top of the turkey pie filling.  This recipe is extremely soft.  You can make drop biscuits or for cut biscuits place a generous amount of sweet rice flour on counter and place biscuit dough on flour.  Dust both sides with flour and lightly pat to 1/2" thick. Cut with biscuit cutter and place on greased sheet.


Gluten Free Biscuits
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vinegar
6 tablespoons shortening (could substitute butter or lard)
1 1/3 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoon guar gum or xanthan gum
Mix dry ingredients together. Using a fork or pastry blender cut the shortening into the dry mixture until crumbly
Add the vinegar to the milk and stir into the dry mixture.  Stir lightly with a fork.  Place some gluten free flour ( I used sweet rice flour) onto counter. Lightly dust the ball of dough with flour and knead it 6 - 8 times until it is smooth.  Flatten with hands to about 1/2" thick.  Cut into 6 circles with biscuit cutter or glass cup. Preheat oven to 425. Place biscuits on lightly greased baking sheet. Brush a little melted butter or oil on top of each biscuit.  Place baking tray in oven and reduce heat to 375 . Bake for 20 minutes.

Biscuits ready to be brushed with melted butter - optional

You can see how nicely they have risen

Thin and Crisp Pizza Crust -gluten free

This crust holds together well, tastes great!

Thin and Crispy Pizza Crust
2 cups fine rice flour
1 cup tapioca starch
1 tsp salt
1 tsp guar gum or xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 1/4 cup warm water
1 tablespoon yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
Method
In mixing bowl combine rice flour, tapioca starch/flour, salt, guar gum, baking powder, and sugar.  Mix together.
In a two cup measure add the warm water, yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar.  Let sit 5-10 minutes. Stir.
Add to the dry mixture along with the oil and mix with wooden spoon or your hands. Divide in two and flatten each ball of dough onto an oiled 12" pizza pan. It is easy to spread out the dough if you make your hands really wet and smooth out the dough.  Bake in a preheated 350* oven for 20 minutes.  Bottom will turn golden but top should still be light.  Cool.  Add your pizza toppings and bake in a 400* oven for 10-12 minutes until done.

Yeast growing in the warm water and sugar

I use tapioca starch and rice flour purchased in the Asian section of the grocery store

Dough after being mixed by hand

Divide dough in half and put on well oiled 12" pizza pans

Make your hands really wet and spread the dough out

the dough may get some cracks but do not worry about that

this is the bottom - golden brown while the top is light coloured